Malcolm-Jamal Warner has died at the age of 54. The actor and father was a staple in Black Hollywood for decades.
Warner was born in Jersey City, New Jersey. He was a child performer who grew to routinely play positive representations of Black boys and men on screen. His breakout role began in 1984. He played the earnest teenager turned compassionate educator Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show. His storyline was one of the first to tackle what it is truly like learning with dyslexia creating a strong impact in mainstream media. The storyline occurred before cognitive diversity was widely recognized, and Warner’s portrayal helped to educate many.
Warner had a great gift for comedy. He co-led the beloved sitcom Malcolm and Edie alongside Eddie Griffin for four seasons.
He portrayed Dr. Alex Reed on the BET sitcom Reed Between the Lines in 2011. The character was a literature professor from a working class background. He depicted the nuances of a Black man who loves fine dining, quality wines, and a well-thought-out story. Tracee Ellis Ross played his wife, and the pair (who also produced the series) routinely talked about what it meant to depict Black love on the small screen.
Warner intentionally seized opportunities to present family-friendly stories that respected and entertained Black people without being corny. “This is not a show that’s shuckin’ and jivin’, it’s not a show that has yo’ momma jokes or ‘you so ugly’ jokes,” he told ESSENCE in a previous interview about Reed Between the Lines.
He portrayed one the Tuskegee Airmen in a 1995 drama.
Warner was also a Grammy award-winning musician. He won the Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Performance in 2015 for “Jesus Children.”
He dedicated time and resources to many charitable endeavors. He supported philanthropic organizations that uplifted children and AIDS patients. In 1992, he directed a public health video titled “Time Out: The Truth About HIV, AIDS and You․” His involvement raised awareness of the cause during the height of the AIDs crisis.
Warner spoke about his posthumous legacy in an interview for Hot & Bothered with Melyssa Ford published on May 21.
“I will be able to leave this earth knowing and people knowing that I was a good person,” he said.
“It is possible to walk through this world, and with all of the darkness in the world, it is possible to maintain your soul and be a good person it is, It definitely is,” he added during the lengthy conversation.
According to People, Jamal Waner drowned during a family trip to Costa Rica.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family at this time.